Anand Mahangoe is one of the best new guitarists I have
heard this year. He is just about to release his debut album 'Joy 4 Ever'
on Lion Music. Combining all the elements that make instrumetal music
fun this album is certainly one to pick up. I decided to catch up with
Anand to get his thoughts on the music, his history and a lot more. Enjoy!
 Hi
Anand,
Thanks for agreeing to this interview.
First off can we talk about Joy 4 Ever, its a quite simply superb album.
When did the basic writing take place and what did you have in mind when
composing the music?
Basic writing took place between 2000-2001 , when I was still living in
Hungary. My main concern was to have Mike Terrana on drums as the songs
just needed his kind of feel and power !! Also my goal was to show the
quality of all the musicians , not only the Guitarplayer.
What emotions were you trying to convey through
the songs?
Every song has a different emotion, I can not explain how I 'give' a song
an emotion. It just comes ....I do not think about, I just try to feel
every single note I hit on the guitar. Therefore the mood of the song
is importan , without that ...no feel.
Did the songs come from yourself alone, or a jamming
environment?
I wrote all the songs by myself, with the help of my cubase program. Later
my Keyboard player Rob Fahnrich added some more harmony and stuff. Its
easy to tell that all the other musicians had to put their own creativity
in my music. That's why I choose them for the recording.
What really struck me about the music, was not the
only excellent guitar work, but the attention to the overall arrangement.
The other instruments play a fundamental role in the whole package. What
this intentional to not make an album purely as a vehicle for "guitar
flash"?
Definitely! I want to make MUSIC! I do not want to show only `how good
I am` as a Guitarplaye , but also that I can write SONGS.
You have a very solid band backing you on the album.
Yet from looking at your website it seems that these guys are no longer
with you. Why the change?
These guys were only for the cd recording, true. Mike is way too busy
with his band Rag , Nick has got family and does not wish to play that
much and Rob is not much of a stage guy at this moment. But my live band
is just great! They all feel the energy of my music and have their own
qualities to put together a great show on stage.
Another thing that really struck me was the importance
of melody in your music. Is the melody the main driving force to a piece
of music, and its what everthing else hinges on?
Without melody , a song is not a good song (to me) ! I don`t have to tell
you that instrumental music is hard to sell ....almost impossible without
melody. Most of the guitar players do have technique , one faster than
the other, so I do not find it necessary to show them every minute. And
next to this, I would also like non guitar players / `normal` people (laughs)
to buy my music, therefore, melody is a must!
Where do you draw your inspiration from for your
music?
No specific place or thing . Usually , I hear a riff / theme in my head
, so I run to my computer and write the basic chords / rhythm around it
and then later I start experimenting with new ideas, for example harmonies
/ scales I did not use before......and of course licks I haven`t played
before.
What do you aim to express with your music?
I try to get a certain mood / feel in a song and hopefully people feel
the same way.....Of course , everybody gets a another picture....one feels
it like a Pink Floyd song , the other like Neil Schon....That`s why I
wanted to have these keyboard parts as they remind often to the `old`
school, especially because of the Hammond sounds.
 Ok,
can you give us a run down of the tracks on the album, and your thoughts
on them.
A Dirty Mind Is A.....
The song itself has got a great push. Live, I am playing all those double
melodies with my Keyboard player Joost Van Den Broek (Sun Caged) . The
keyboard ending is my favorite part! I like to crank up the volume there.
Blind Date
Again very aggressive, the Hammond chords give a great mood to the song
....no particular thoughts.
Intimate Dance
I like this song very much, quite a simple feel and people find it easy
to listen too. This song , I wrote within one day....the lines were just
coming one after the other. Perhaps one of the best ballads I wrote.
Meet Mr Long
No particular thoughts, just a good melody.
Get Laid
This song, I wanted to blow out in every way, so the middle part of the
song, the Guitar part is just going and going...Mike , I pushed to give
his most aggressive kicks...BUT the melody stands..great song to play
live too!! This song has got some rhythm changes so it would fit well
for Derek Sherinian.....as you can see, he did a great job too!
Disillusioned
This is indeed a sad song. It brings me to some nice places...especially
the keyboard chords under the melody line. My bassplayer figured out that
great run in the middle part, but he wanted to go back after that to his
run earlier in the song , but I pushed him to play that great lick under
my bridge solo which turned out to be great!
Get Out
Song starts pretty aggressive. this was made by my keyboard player Rob.
He like the progressive music like ELP , Gentle Giant and stuff very much
!! The middle part is pretty cool with the wah-wah effect....no special
feelings though.
Next
This song did not sound as well as it sounds now on the cd...the mood
came in the studio where we changed the whole middle part : I tuned down
my guitar to a c* which gave the song a complete different character.
The mood I like here too , also made by the wah.
Onatopp
Great song to play live !! When Mike started to record the song, he had
total freedom and said that he wanted to do something in the style of
the Police .....Mike always plays these heavy double bass drum parts in
the studio and this time he enjoyed very much playing this kind of stuff
!
The One
The mood for this song, was set by Rob...his piano intro is great so I
changed my own part and added the acoustic guitar there....this way the
melody part hits even harder. I liked his part so much that later in the
song, I left out my Guitar so that the bass player could do the run together
with Rob .....This way we were really making music....I do not need to
play everywhere.
Joy 4 Ever
This song does make me happy , so joy 4 ever was the best title for this
song. I put in this pretty strange chord in this song....and in the bridge
part, I just wanted to play some fast things ..but still keeping a melody....
 The
album titles seem to suggest some sort of dating scenario, whats the story
behind them?
This is the semi title : A dirty Mind Is A Joy 4 Ever : to me , I try
to see everything positive and I just like sex ............I have lots
of fun when talking about it with other musicians / people......Story
starts with a Blind Date , this is heavy shit as the guy is pretty nervous.....they
go to a restaurant and have a nice romantic meal .....and some deep talking.....like
with your Dr Phil...They start to feel comfortable and enjoy each others
company , so time for an intimate dance....During the dance , they get
pretty excited , so pay the bill and go straight to the guys place where
she gets to meet Mr Long......(or call it any name you want .... cock
/ dick...hihihi)
They Get Laid , nothing more to say........Then next morning when they
wake up , she says to him that she is married and just wanted to have
fun ......(ohhhh women ....!! Normally it is the other way around , that
the men cheats . I found it funny to turn it around as lately women also
cheat more and more .....this is not a biography...hihihihi) So he is
Disillusioned.....He gets a bit angry and throws her out of his place
and says : Get Out and don`t ever come back no more..............after
a while he cools down. So after a while, he regains his trust in women
, so time to try the Next woman.....This one turns the be great (in bed
too) She is On A Top.....Perhaps you have seen Golden Eye from James Bond
....one female was called : Onatopp......I just liked this name because
it has got a dirty Mind.....After the great sex and stuff, he gets to
know her inside better and better so she turns out to be the One for him.....
Great happy song ! story ends and the dirty mind stays a joy 4 ever.....
Ok lets talk gear:
What guitars do you use, and what do you look for
in an instrument?
I use only one Yamaha RGX 1212A guitar and one Yamaha APX acoustic. I
need the full 24 fret neck , if possible a neck thru as I do not have
big fingers. I like the sound of an ebony fretboard. Of course a steady
Floyd Rose system. A single / single / Humbucker combination....pickups
I do not mind ....Right now i have standard Yamaha pickups on it , they
do well ....Most of the DiMarzio's would be great though !! Right now
, we are looking into a endorsement with Jackson Guitars, which would
be great!!
What amplification?
I have a Koch Amps endorsement right now : Powertone 2 . It sounds incredibly
open and tight . The cabinets are vintage based ....also Koch of course.
And effects?
For the effects , I have a deal with TC Electronic. I use the 2290 Delay
, G Force (for the reverb and other effects) . I do play with my dry sound
in the center and stereo effectsthrough the left and right cabinets. For
the effects I am using a 120 watts Kitty Hawk poweramp . Mixing and Switching
systems are also Kitty Hawk .....(endorsement). Morley Bad Horsie Wah......
What do you look for in your tone? And any special
that is crucial in the signal chain to getting your tone?
Tone ....hmmm let`s think : open , tight , aggressive...and warm......most
of all sounding naturally ...so not digital tone ! No nothing special
, just the 3 way system is the main system.
When and why did you start playing?
At the age of 12 , I had to choose between 2 guitars from my parents to
learn......I choose the lighter 6 string, not knowing the names of course..
Who are your main influences and what aspect of their playing is it that
appeals to you?
When I started , it was Joe Satriani ....His melody is just great! Steve
Vai is just a genius...the guy can play everything!!! Also his Harmony
/
scales are incredible .
What do you hope
to achieve with your career?
Tour around the whole world and continue recording my music and of course
for others as well!
Any tips on dealing with the music industry?
Be carefu !! The right label is a hard thing to find. Just believe in
yourself and listen to your feelings.
What do you have planned for 2003/2004?
Re-release of my first album with some bonus tracks + new keyboard arrangements.
Then I have almost finished another instrumental project with Rob Fahnrich
called : Different World . The working title is `Spheres`. It is all film
/ background music with me playing lots of acoustic guitar. Sounds completely
different then everything I have done so far . BUT melody stays the main
!!! The rest , who knows?
Anything else you want to say to the readers of virtuosityone.com?
Well, thanks for their time to read and perhaps buy my cd !! If you have
any suggestions , mail me !
Anand, thank you for your time.
Thanks for doing this interview Andy and keep on supporting music!
Anand Mahangoe Links
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